Purple Heart

[mariner]

Hi Guys,

Can anyone explain to me how the Purple Heart multiple awards device system works? I`m aware that there are oak leaf clusters & stars, but what do they all represent?

Edited November 10, 2007 by mariner

[Paul R]

For the Army and the Air Force, each Purple Heart awarded after the first is noted with the application of a Bronze Oak Leave Cluster.

For the Marines, Coast Guard, and Navy, a gold star is used for each sequential award, until the sixth. Upon the sixth award of the medal, the four gold stars are replaced by a single silver star(which represents five awards).

[Doc]

At least for the Army, the most bronze oak leaf clusters which can be worn is 4 (representing PH awarded 5 times). If you are unlucky enough to get hit again after that, the 4 bronze clusters plus the new award are represented by a silver oak leaf cluster, so the basic award plus a silver cluster equals 6 awards. Then you can have silver plus 1-4 bronze for more awards, and then it would go to two silver. If you have that many, I don't want to be in a foxhole with you, because you are a real bullet magnet. Doc

[mariner]

Cheers Guys. Makes perfect sense now.

I agree you wouldn`t want to share a trench with someone who continually gets hit...I saw a documentary recently during which a guy won his 4th Purple Heart in Vietnam. I wonder whats the most that have ever been won by one guy? Any ideas......

[Paul R]

The most Purple Hearts received by one person is eight. Six U.S. Army soldiers share that distinction:

* Richard J. Buck - Four Purple Hearts in the Korean War and four in the Vietnam War

* Robert T. Frederick - Eight Purple Hearts in World War II; also received two Distinguished Service Crosses

* David H. Hackworth - Eight Purple Hearts in the Korean War and Vietnam War; also received two Distinguished Service Crosses and ten Silver Stars

* Robert L. Howard - Eight Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War; also received the Medal of Honor

* William L. Russell - Eight Purple Hearts in World War II; Silver Star

* William Waugh - Eight Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War; also received the Silver Star.

Per:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heart

[bigjarofwasps]

Check out this...

http://www.hackworth.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hackworth

[Ed_Haynes]

Much mythology -- for which there are some less delicate terms -- surrounds Hackworth.

[hunyadi]

From what I understand - today you cant get more than two oak leaf clusters in a conflict beofre you get sent home...

[Doc]

From what I understand - today you cant get more than two oak leaf clusters in a conflict beofre you get sent home...

Hunyadi--- I haven't ever seen any Army regulation or policy to that effect. Do you have a reference you can provide? Doc

[Paul R]

I have never heard of that reg, either.

[W McSwiggan]

As I recall the esteemed Senator and former Presidential candidate from Massachusetts was rotated out of Vietnam for having been awarded three Purple Hearts. I can not say if this was by regulation or Department of the Navy policy. It was a bit of a talking point and became rather contentious. The "Swift Boat" veterans were particularly vocal and unsupportive...

I will leave my personal feelings a mystery in an attempt to avoid subsequent political rantings from both sides.

From what I understand - today you cant get more than two oak leaf clusters in a conflict beofre you get sent home...

[Ed_Haynes]

There are regulations and there are policies. While there is a difference, I doubt if even in human history has either been rigirously applied.

[bigjarofwasps]

Much mythology -- for which there are some less delicate terms -- surrounds Hackworth.

Ed, tell tell.......

Surely he must be the most decorated American soldier that ever served? I was going to ask for his book for Christmas, but would very much like to hear your views, before I do.

[Doc]

As I recall the esteemed Senator and former Presidential candidate from Massachusetts was rotated out of Vietnam for having been awarded three Purple Hearts. I can not say if this was by regulation or Department of the Navy policy. It was a bit of a talking point and became rather contentious. The "Swift Boat" veterans were particularly vocal and unsupportive...

I will leave my personal feelings a mystery in an attempt to avoid subsequent political rantings from both sides.

Keeping out of the politics, that rotation was neither by Navy policy nor by regulation. I know of several Naval personnel with three or more PH in Viet-nam who were not rotated out. Doc

[Ed_Haynes]

Others may address this better than I, but he is surely the most self-advertised US soldier ever. A lot of self-serving fact-stretching here.

[bigjarofwasps]

Others may address this better than I, but he is surely the most self-advertised US soldier ever. A lot of self-serving fact-stretching here.

Cheers Ed, I`ll give the book a bash.....

[bigjarofwasps]

Billy Walkabout, decorated American Indian veteran, dies at 57

Walkabout received the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, five Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars. He was believed to be the most decorated Native American soldier of the Vietnam War, according to U.S. Department of Defense reports.

[bigjarofwasps]

Audie Murphy's Military Award List

Military Service Number 01 692 509

Medal of Honor

Distinguished Service Cross

Silver Star With First Oak Leaf Cluster

Legion of Merit

Bronze Star With "V" Device and First Oak Leaf Cluster

Purple Heart With Second Oak Leaf Cluster

U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal

Good Conduct Medal

Distinguished Unit Emblem With First Oak Leaf Cluster

American Campaign Medal

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal

With One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service

Stars (representing nine campaigns) and

one Bronze Arrowhead (representing

assault landing at Sicily and Southern France)

World War II Victory Medal

Army of Occupation With German Clasp

Armed Forces Reserve Medal

Combat Infantryman Badge

Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar

Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar

French Fourragere In Colors of the Croix de Guerre

French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier

French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star

French Croix de Guerre with Palm

Medal of Liberated France

Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm

[bigjarofwasps]

So just who was the most decorated American soldier? You`d think the answer would be easy.....

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_was_the_most...merican_history

But it seems not!

Then you could argue.... does say the acts required to win 2 DSC & 10 SS say out rank a MH?

& whilst I on about it, who was the most decorated British soldier? Could you say one of the double VC winners or the SAS guy who won 4 DSOs, or is there someone else......?

[hunyadi]

My information comes from my brohter-in-law serving in Iraq whose unit NCOs were told that if they get wounded three times they are sent homeside. He's an NCO, so the other ranks may or may not know. But for that particular division / regiment (???) it seems to be a policy. So I will backstep a bit on a total picutre. He got hit three times, the second one was a slight shrapnel wound that the medic was able to fix up for him, but he didnt get it reported further than that as he was afraid that he would get hit soon and then sent back while his men needed him. He did get hit a third time with a through and through gunshot wound. But he was able to stay in country and finish up his term.

[Doc]

My information comes from my brohter-in-law serving in Iraq whose unit NCOs were told that if they get wounded three times they are sent homeside. He's an NCO, so the other ranks may or may not know. But for that particular division / regiment (???) it seems to be a policy. So I will backstep a bit on a total picutre. He got hit three times, the second one was a slight shrapnel wound that the medic was able to fix up for him, but he didnt get it reported further than that as he was afraid that he would get hit soon and then sent back while his men needed him. He did get hit a third time with a through and through gunshot wound. But he was able to stay in country and finish up his term.

Sounds like a good source, so I can't argue with you. However, it sounds like a local unit policy, and I really wonder how they could actually carry it off, since there is no published policy on the subject. Glad your brother in law managed to finish his tour, and apparently wasn't hit too badly. Doc

[hunyadi]

Sounds like a good source, so I can't argue with you. However, it sounds like a local unit policy, and I really wonder how they could actually carry it off, since there is no published policy on the subject. Glad your brother in law managed to finish his tour, and apparently wasn't hit too badly. Doc

First one was the worst with schrapnel up and down one side - kept him out of action for about a month, then four months later the schrapnel wound to the hand (for which he still cant feel his thumb - another reason he didnt want to report it, probably out of fear of being declared unfit for combat...) Then the last through n through.

Talking with my father the Army didnt have any official mehtods; for trying to keep the veterans alive as its a tricky thing to balance. If you say you have a policy of three wounds and you go home - there are alot of folks getting superficial wounds and going home early, but you also dont want to waste those with combat experience either, so apparently the commanders are given the choice for who gets sent home when and why. During Vietnam the JCS ran it as a 'ground' operation so the Army and Airforce fell under the main Amry set of rules, ideas, etc... the Navy was considered as secondary to the operation and as such when it came to awards, (in particular) the Navy was on their own to give them out and determine who got to go home, (a situation of 'oh you fired the six inch guns at the shore line - give that gunner a bronze star!) but this also came at a local unit level. Apparently the unit of the Senator made a nice policy of three PH's and you go home - it was an easy way to get him out of their hair....accoriding to my fahters sources - he worked for the JCS.

[mariner]

Cheers Guys... but going off topic slighty...

Individual decorations and service medals

Distinguished Service Cross (with Oak Leaf Cluster)[2]

Silver Star (with nine Oak Leaf Clusters)[2]

Legion of Merit (with three Oak Leaf Clusters)[2]

Distinguished Flying Cross[2]

Bronze Star Medal (with "V" Device & seven Oak Leaf Clusters)[2]

Purple Heart (with seven Oak Leaf Clusters)[2]

Air Medal (with "V" Device & Numeral 34) (One for heroism and 33 for aerial achievement)[2]

Army Commendation Medal (with "V" Device & 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)[2]

Good Conduct Medal[2]

World War II Victory Medal[2]

Army of Occupation Medal (with Germany and Japan Clasps)[2]

National Defense Service Medal (with one Bronze Service star)[2]

Korean Service Medal (with Service Stars for eight campaigns)[2]

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal[2]

Vietnam Service Medal (2 Silver Service stars)[2]

Armed Forces Reserve Medal[2]

34 Air Medals, surely this is a typing error? How on earth could you win that many awards? What type of things is it awarded for?

Also what do all the stars on the campaign medals mean?

Edited November 15, 2007 by mariner

[Doc]

During the Viet-nam War, Air Medals were given for heroism, but also for a certain number of combat flight hours. I don't remember the number, as it changed in different periods, but helicopter pilots of that era who flew lots of hours commonly had 20+ air medals. 34 is not at all unbelievable. Doc

[JBFloyd]

Air Medals were based on missions flown or hours flown, in various capacities. That's the part that's easy to follow. After that it gets very confusing.

In the Air Force in VIetnam, fighter crews generally got an Air Medal for 5 combat sorties; airlifters got them based on hours flown. The number of missions required also varied over time. I know several forward air controllers who worn multiple ribbons to hold their Air Medal oak leaf clusters.

At the same time, the Army awarded Air Medals to those who had duties involved regular flights, but who were not aircrew (e.g., unit commanders using helicopters for on-scene command posts). The ARmy went to numbers instead of oak leaf clusters to manage the display of additional awards.

34 Air Medals is not unusual at all. I knew several with 70+ and the highest number I recall seeing was 124 awards.

Also, the stars on campaign medals represent specific campaigns. These campaigns are designated by each service by specific dates and geographic boundaries (to earn the star, you had to be in the area within the dates).

There are so many exceptions, amendments and changes to the rules, hoever, that is no short answer to the questions.